Kelly Jones Out, ‘Better Kansas City’ on Hiatus at KCTV

Kansas City CBS affiliate KCTV has taken “Better Kansas City,” its local lifestyle show, off the air for the summer. Kelly Jones (pictured), the show’s co-host, is no longer with the station, according to Bottom Line Communications.

The Kansas City Star talks to KCTV general manager Darrin McDonald about plans for the 9 a.m. timeslot for the summer while “Better Kansas City” is “off the air for retooling”:

Starting next week, McDonald said, the national show “Better TV” — produced by KCTV’s corporate parent, Meredith, and shown mornings on KSMO-TV — will air in “Better KC’s” place but with some local segments. Those will be handled by Jones’ co-host, Lisa Holbrook, who remains at the station.

Jones said she had “no comment at this point.” She joined KCTV in April 2010 as co-anchor of its morning and noon newscasts. “Better Kansas City” was launched last fall by McDonald’s predecessor, Bobby Totsch.

The show is produced locally, but not by the station’s news department. The general manager said the show had been “performing fine” in the ratings, but he does want it to attract more young women and “add more 25-to-34-year-olds” to its audience.